Appearance Vocabulary

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Welcome to our Daily English Listening Practice with this week’s series:

This is the beginning of a 5-part series helping you understand and use new English vocabulary right away while listening to naturally spoken English.

Please listen to the audio files for explanations.
Transcripts unavailable.

Notes from the Audio Files

Makeup

To put on makeup: to apply makeup
- To wear makeup: to have makeup on your face
Obligated: forced to do something
Make myself/yourself up: the act of putting on makeup
To an extent: up to a certain point or level

How to use it:
“I don’t usually put on a lot of makeup, maybe some mascara, but that’s about it.”
“She normally spends about 20 minutes putting on her makeup.”

Complexion

Texture: the look and feel of a surface
Cosmetics aisle: Makeup aisle in a store
Sephora: popular makeup store
Powder and foundation: makeup for your face
T-zone: across your eyebrows and down your nose
Acne: red spots on your face and body

How to use it:
“She’s been blessed with a great complexion, she doesn’t even need makeup.”
“Because I’ve got quite a pale complexion I usually have to put suncream on every half an hour.”

Get Spruced Up / Dolled up

Black tie: tuxedo attire
Monobrow: two eyebrows grow to become one
To get dolled up: you are getting ready
To be dolled up: you are ready, and you look really nice

How to use it:

“Wow you look all dolled up and ready to go out!”
“We rarely get a chance to get dolled up, so we want to make the most of it!”

Be Good Looking: to be attractive

“What’s cookin’ good lookin’?”: really terrible pick-up line
Undertones: a deeper meaning to a phrase or statement
Significant other: girlfriend/boyfriend husband/wife partner
Perceived: understood

How to use it:
“He’s a very good looking young man. He takes after his dad.”
“He’s really smart and good-looking too, it’s totally unfair.”

Au Naturale

“O” Natur-ale
Power to you: I support your efforts, Good luck!
“You went au natural”: **informal you were naked
#nomakeup #nofilter #bedhead

How to use it:
“I’m going au naturale this week to try to clear up my skin.”
“We drove past a French beach and saw a lot of people sun-bathing ‘au naturale’, if you know what I mean.”

This is just the beginning! We’ve got a total of 25 listening clips for advanced English students, so continue listening here: